Digital bus helps Grantham job seekers

Tracey Davies

A digital bus was helping people to access the internet last week to coincide with the Universal Credit roll-out in Grantham.

Fortem Solutions Ltd was working in partnership with Grantham Jobcentre and parked its Smart4Life bus in their car park in Castlegate on Thursday and Friday last week, to help customers access the internet, get help with their emails, create a CV and search for jobs online.

Community champion for SKDC Paula Miller and administration assistant Julie Froggett was on the bus to offer help and guidance throughout both days.

Paula said: “In today’s society, being able to access online is crucial. Customers could access free wifi and familiarise themselves with digital technology. Our first customer was a man who wasn’t sure how to access the internet from his phone. He needed to know how to screengrab as evidence of his job searches. It didn’t take him long to pick it up.”

Around 25 people turned up over the two days, with the majority asking for help with downloading and attaching their CV’s using apps.

Paula added: “We were very busy both days with Thursday being the busiest, We helped one woman build her CV from scratch, which enabled her to upload it to job websites and start searching for jobs. Everyone that we helped over the two days went away with big smiles on their faces, so it was very successful.”

The team would now like to take the bus further afield.

Paula added: “Our aim is to take the bus into more rural areas and villages to help those people who are unable to get into town.”

Jonathan Beech, employee relations lead for Grantham Jobcentre, said: “The internet and modern technology have revolutionised the way that people interact with services in every walk of life. There is a range of local support services in Grantham which help people to access and use the internet including the library and Grantham Foodbank.

“We appreciate the support that these organisations give to people who don’t have easy access or confidence using these tools. We really welcome the innovative support that Fortem Solutions provided to help people to make the most of the internet and the technology in their pockets.”